diff --git a/src/demo-app/progress-spinner/progress-spinner-demo.html b/src/demo-app/progress-spinner/progress-spinner-demo.html
index 3abea5c81d1a..dfb6f65e5e37 100644
--- a/src/demo-app/progress-spinner/progress-spinner-demo.html
+++ b/src/demo-app/progress-spinner/progress-spinner-demo.html
@@ -4,11 +4,14 @@ <h1>Determinate</h1>
   <p>Value: {{progressValue}}</p>
   <button md-raised-button (click)="step(10)">Increase</button>
   <button md-raised-button (click)="step(-10)">Decrease</button>
+  <md-checkbox [(ngModel)]="modeToggle">Is determinate</md-checkbox>
 </div>
 
 <div class="demo-progress-spinner">
-  <md-progress-spinner mode="determinate" [value]="progressValue" color="primary"></md-progress-spinner>
-  <md-progress-spinner [value]="progressValue" color="accent"></md-progress-spinner>
+  <md-progress-spinner [mode]="modeToggle ? 'indeterminate' : 'determinate'"
+      [value]="progressValue" color="primary"></md-progress-spinner>
+  <md-progress-spinner [mode]="modeToggle ? 'indeterminate' : 'determinate'"
+      [value]="progressValue" color="accent"></md-progress-spinner>
 </div>
 
 <h1>Indeterminate</h1>
@@ -24,3 +27,4 @@ <h1>Indeterminate</h1>
   <md-progress-spinner mode="indeterminate" [color]="color"></md-progress-spinner>
   <md-spinner [color]="color"></md-spinner>
 </div>
+
diff --git a/src/demo-app/progress-spinner/progress-spinner-demo.ts b/src/demo-app/progress-spinner/progress-spinner-demo.ts
index c11cedc5f57a..b67781631c5e 100644
--- a/src/demo-app/progress-spinner/progress-spinner-demo.ts
+++ b/src/demo-app/progress-spinner/progress-spinner-demo.ts
@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@ import {Component} from '@angular/core';
   styleUrls: ['progress-spinner-demo.css'],
 })
 export class ProgressSpinnerDemo {
-  progressValue: number = 40;
+  progressValue: number = 60;
   color: string = 'primary';
+  modeToggle: boolean = false;
 
   step(val: number) {
     this.progressValue = Math.max(0, Math.min(100, val + this.progressValue));
diff --git a/src/lib/progress-spinner/progress-spinner.spec.ts b/src/lib/progress-spinner/progress-spinner.spec.ts
index 0db59707ec16..ed0a0f267222 100644
--- a/src/lib/progress-spinner/progress-spinner.spec.ts
+++ b/src/lib/progress-spinner/progress-spinner.spec.ts
@@ -50,11 +50,11 @@ describe('MdProgressSpinner', () => {
   it('should set the value to undefined when the mode is set to indeterminate', () => {
     let fixture = TestBed.createComponent(ProgressSpinnerWithValueAndBoundMode);
     let progressElement = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('md-progress-spinner'));
-    fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.mode = 'determinate';
+    fixture.componentInstance.mode = 'determinate';
     fixture.detectChanges();
 
     expect(progressElement.componentInstance.value).toBe(50);
-    fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.mode = 'indeterminate';
+    fixture.componentInstance.mode = 'indeterminate';
     fixture.detectChanges();
     expect(progressElement.componentInstance.value).toBe(undefined);
   });
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ describe('MdProgressSpinner', () => {
     let progressElement = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('md-progress-spinner'));
     expect(progressElement.componentInstance.interdeterminateInterval).toBeTruthy();
 
-    fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.isHidden = true;
+    fixture.componentInstance.isHidden = true;
     fixture.detectChanges();
     expect(progressElement.componentInstance.interdeterminateInterval).toBeFalsy();
   });
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ describe('MdProgressSpinner', () => {
 
     expect(progressElement.componentInstance.interdeterminateInterval).toBeTruthy();
 
-    fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.isHidden = true;
+    fixture.componentInstance.isHidden = true;
     fixture.detectChanges();
 
     expect(progressElement.componentInstance.interdeterminateInterval).toBeFalsy();
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ describe('MdProgressSpinner', () => {
 
     expect(progressElement.nativeElement.classList).toContain('mat-primary');
 
-    fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.color = 'accent';
+    fixture.componentInstance.color = 'accent';
     fixture.detectChanges();
 
     expect(progressElement.nativeElement.classList).toContain('mat-accent');
@@ -131,13 +131,30 @@ describe('MdProgressSpinner', () => {
 
     expect(progressElement.nativeElement.classList).toContain('mat-primary');
 
-    fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.color = 'accent';
+    fixture.componentInstance.color = 'accent';
     fixture.detectChanges();
 
     expect(progressElement.nativeElement.classList).toContain('mat-accent');
     expect(progressElement.nativeElement.classList).not.toContain('mat-primary');
   });
 
+  it('should re-render the circle when switching from indeterminate to determinate mode', () => {
+    let fixture = TestBed.createComponent(ProgressSpinnerWithValueAndBoundMode);
+    let progressElement = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('md-progress-spinner')).nativeElement;
+
+    fixture.componentInstance.mode = 'indeterminate';
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    let path = progressElement.querySelector('path');
+    let oldDimesions = path.getAttribute('d');
+
+    fixture.componentInstance.mode = 'determinate';
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    expect(path.getAttribute('d')).not
+        .toBe(oldDimesions, 'Expected circle dimensions to have changed.');
+  });
+
 });
 
 
@@ -148,14 +165,14 @@ class BasicProgressSpinner { }
 class IndeterminateProgressSpinner { }
 
 @Component({template: '<md-progress-spinner value="50" [mode]="mode"></md-progress-spinner>'})
-class ProgressSpinnerWithValueAndBoundMode { }
+class ProgressSpinnerWithValueAndBoundMode { mode = 'indeterminate'; }
 
 @Component({template: `
     <md-progress-spinner mode="indeterminate" *ngIf="!isHidden"></md-progress-spinner>`})
-class IndeterminateProgressSpinnerWithNgIf { }
+class IndeterminateProgressSpinnerWithNgIf { isHidden = false; }
 
 @Component({template: `<md-spinner *ngIf="!isHidden"></md-spinner>`})
-class SpinnerWithNgIf { }
+class SpinnerWithNgIf { isHidden = false; }
 
 @Component({template: `<md-spinner [color]="color"></md-spinner>`})
 class SpinnerWithColor { color: string = 'primary'; }
diff --git a/src/lib/progress-spinner/progress-spinner.ts b/src/lib/progress-spinner/progress-spinner.ts
index 6cf9d76995df..21cc43fd3c16 100644
--- a/src/lib/progress-spinner/progress-spinner.ts
+++ b/src/lib/progress-spinner/progress-spinner.ts
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ export class MdProgressSpinner implements OnDestroy {
   set value(v: number) {
     if (v != null && this.mode == 'determinate') {
       let newValue = clamp(v);
-      this._animateCircle((this.value || 0), newValue, linearEase, DURATION_DETERMINATE, 0);
+      this._animateCircle(this.value || 0, newValue);
       this._value = newValue;
     }
   }
@@ -150,13 +150,16 @@ export class MdProgressSpinner implements OnDestroy {
   get mode() {
     return this._mode;
   }
-  set mode(m: ProgressSpinnerMode) {
-    if (m == 'indeterminate') {
-      this._startIndeterminateAnimation();
-    } else {
-      this._cleanupIndeterminateAnimation();
+  set mode(mode: ProgressSpinnerMode) {
+    if (mode !== this._mode) {
+      if (mode === 'indeterminate') {
+        this._startIndeterminateAnimation();
+      } else {
+        this._cleanupIndeterminateAnimation();
+        this._animateCircle(0, this._value);
+      }
+      this._mode = mode;
     }
-    this._mode = m;
   }
 
   constructor(
@@ -176,8 +179,8 @@ export class MdProgressSpinner implements OnDestroy {
    * @param rotation The starting angle of the circle fill, with 0° represented at the top center
    *    of the circle.
    */
-  private _animateCircle(animateFrom: number, animateTo: number, ease: EasingFn,
-                        duration: number, rotation: number) {
+  private _animateCircle(animateFrom: number, animateTo: number, ease: EasingFn = linearEase,
+                        duration = DURATION_DETERMINATE, rotation = 0) {
 
     let id = ++this._lastAnimationId;
     let startTime = Date.now();
@@ -246,7 +249,7 @@ export class MdProgressSpinner implements OnDestroy {
    * Renders the arc onto the SVG element. Proxies `getArc` while setting the proper
    * DOM attribute on the `<path>`.
    */
-  private _renderArc(currentValue: number, rotation: number) {
+  private _renderArc(currentValue: number, rotation = 0) {
     // Caches the path reference so it doesn't have to be looked up every time.
     let path = this._path = this._path || this._elementRef.nativeElement.querySelector('path');